The Blinds

By Adam Sternbergh

Goodreads Synopsis

“Imagine a place populated by criminals-people plucked from their lives, with their memories altered, who’ve been granted new identities and a second chance. Welcome to The Blinds, a dusty town in rural Texas populated by misfits who don’t know if they’ve perpetrated a crime, or just witnessed one. What’s clear to them is that if they leave, they will end up dead.

For eight years, Sheriff Calvin Cooper has kept an uneasy peace—but after a suicide and a murder in quick succession, the town’s residents revolt. Cooper has his own secrets to protect, so when his new deputy starts digging, he needs to keep one step ahead of her—and the mysterious outsiders who threaten to tear the whole place down. The more he learns, the more the hard truth is revealed: The Blinds is no sleepy hideaway. It’s simmering with violence and deception, aching heartbreak and dark betrayals. ” (Goodreads)

---

My Take

Character Connection

I LOVED how the characters were developed throughout this story – since the basis of the plot is that no one has past memories, you discovered key character development at the same time the characters discovered it themselves. Being unsure of a character’s motivation behind their actions also led to more twisty-turns (which is always a great thing)! Sternbergh has a beautiful way of writing deeply flawed characters while imbuing them with humor and just enough vulnerability to make you relate to them (regardless of their murderous criminal history).

Twisty-Turns

The twists were just enough to keep you engaged and wanting to discover answers to your questions without overwhelming you with unnecessary details. I particularly enjoyed the brief glimpses into backstories that fed into future reveals without being overly explanatory.

Psych-Links

The basis of the plot is enough of a study in Psychology in and of itself.  I think of it as the exact opposite of Restorative Justice – just wipe out all memory of your past sins. Is a murderer still a murderer if they have no recollection of their actions? What about trauma? If you have no memory of your traumatic experience, can you move forward in a healthy way?  I appreciated the forced ethics questions woven throughout the plot.

Cine-ability

The Blinds would make for a fantastic movie or limited series! There are SO many characters that I’ve only focused on a few but in a show you could really dig into the backstory of many of the residents. This is action-packed, full of suspense, and causes you to question everything you think you know about the justice system.  Here’s my limited cast for The Blinds:

---

The Merry Murderino’s Overall Rating

This is such a hidden gem of a book – I picked it up from my Book of the Month subscription (click my referral link to sign up) based on the reviews of other readers and was immediately engrossed in the story and style of the writing.  It’s full of action, constant questioning of character motivation, ethical arguments centered around what is essentially mind-control and big guns in the heart of Texas.  I particularly enjoyed the snippets of back story sprinkled throughout which focus on our seemingly minor characters.  It all ends up tying together (in some twisted ways, but it’s a thriller so deal with it) and we get as close to a happy ending as could happen to a town of murderers. Overall, I would say this genre-bending western-suspense-psychological thriller is a must read!

---